Two billion people have gained access to a clean-water source since 1990, according to a United Nations report. That leaves just 748 million to go.

Farm

Farm

In North Africa and the Middle East 53 percent of groundwater is used in agriculture, putting pressure on scarce drinking-water supplies. A root-hydration system from Design Technology & Innovation lets farmers water their crops with salty or polluted water instead. Permeable plastic pipes under the soil allow plants to be watered, leaving contaminants behind.

Status: Researchers used the pipes to grow shrubs in the United Arab Emirates in 2008. DuPont has since licensed the technology, which is currently being used in a four-year irrigation program in Jordan.

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Home

ntreated drinking water kills 2 million people a year by spreading diseases such as cholera, dysentery, and typhoid. The LifeStraw Family 2.0 tabletop system captures 99.9 percent of the illness-causing microbes in water, and safely stores clean water in a 1.3-gallon tank. One unit provides water for a family of five for up to five years.

Status: A successful 566-household test ended in Rwanda in 2013. Filters will be distributed to 100,000 additional households this year. The company also wants to send units to Ethiopia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Ivory Coast.